Great Lakes Community

Through four allied programs, GLOW will galvanize, inspire, and motivate residents of the Great Lakes Basin to strengthen, support and steward the Great Lakes to a beautiful and healthy future. With this shared identity and commitment, the Great Lakes can be sustained and improved. With the extra challenge of climate change—fires, floods, and weather extremes—building a committed, connected community dedicated to the Great Lakes is more important than ever.
These programs are:

• The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour explores lakes-focused science, arts and culture in the entire Great Lakes Basin, creating a lively music-centered magazine style broadcast.
• The Great Lakes Library Collaborative shares programming with leading scientists, thinkers, and activists in conversation with local communities and fosters the cross-basin Great Lakes, Great Read.
• Great Lake Odyssey Future creates experiential learning for young adults in which they will work with indigenous elders and artists to envision vital and beautiful lakes in 2072.
• Great Lakes Odyssey Festivals bring local communities into direct contact with musicians, artists, historians, scientists, and others to explore and celebrate Great Lakes culture and environment.

The Great Lakes Odyssey Radio Hour is at the core of this interdisciplinary initiative. Theme-based episodes celebrate the region’s diverse heritage, while fostering connections across silos to address the watershed’s ecological challenges.

The Radio Hour debuted September 2022 in a collaboration with Central Michigan University’s NPR affiliate, WCMU-FM. We have since expanded our listener base by joining the WBFO-FM, Buffalo/Toronto Public Media network. Toledo WGTE-FM Public Media began broadcasting in October 2023.

Needs: Volunteers, Open to collaboration, Funding, Knowledge sharing, Data

Seneca Lake Guardian is a New York State Not-for-Profit Corporation with 501(c)(3) and is dedicated to preserving and protecting the health of the Finger Lakes, its residents and visitors, its rural community character, and its agricultural and tourist related businesses through public education, citizen participation, engagement with decision makers, and networking with like-minded organizations. The Finger Lakes are all located within the Great Lakes basin and the Finger Lakes watersheds are subject to the provisions of the Great Lakes Compact.

Needs: Volunteers, Open to collaboration, Funding, Knowledge sharing, Data, Mapping

Lake Ontario Waterkeeper is the longest running initiative of Swim Drink Fish. Waterkeeper promotes water literacy, informed-decision making and acts as a model for protecting swimmable, drinkable, fishable water in Canada and beyond.

Needs: Volunteers, Open to Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, Mapping, Data

Swim Drink Fish works at the confluence of water, people and storytelling, using community science, technology and communications to connect people to water.

Needs: Volunteers, Open to Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, Mapping, Data

Swim Drink Fish works at the confluence of water, people, and storytelling, using community science, technology, and communications to connect people to water.

Needs: Volunteers, Open to Collaboration, Knowledge Sharing, Mapping, Data

We optimize and expand local action to build a healthy and resilient Great Lakes coastal ecosystem that supports the community’s economic, recreational, spiritual, and environmental needs.

Needs: Volunteers / Open to Collaboration / Knowledge Sharing